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Continuation of dialogue between Azerbaijan, Armenia encouraging - EU

The continuation of dialogue between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents is encouraging, head of the EU delegation to Azerbaijan, Malena Mard said.

The EU hopes for continuation of this dialogue and believes that dialogue is the only way to move forward, she told journalists on April 9.

"The EU approaches very positively to the continuation of negotiations," Mard said
Azerbaijani and Armenian heads of state meet periodically regarding the issues relating to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Mard also noted that negotiations on the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the EU continues both in Baku and in Brussels.

Head of delegation stressed the conduction of fruitful cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU.

A progress has been made on the negotiations of bilateral cooperation with several countries, according to Mard.

We seek to work more intensively on the existing issues between the EU and the "Eastern Partnership " states, she noted.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.